Daily Update On Current Affairs – October 1, 2017

Former Union Minister Satya Pal Malik has been appointed as the new Governor of Bihar while Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit will now be the new Governor of Tamil Nadu. Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar, Prof Jagdish Mukhi will replace Mr. Purohit as the Governor of Assam. Admiral (Retd) Devendra Kumar Joshi will be the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar in place of Prof. Mukhi. President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Governors in five states and Lieutenant Governor in one Union Territories. Brigadier (Retd) BD Mishra has been appointed as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and former member of Bihar Legislative Council Ganga Prasad has been appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya.

Veteran actor Tom Alter dies at 67

Veteran film, television and theatre actor and Padma Shri Tom Alter has died at age 67. The renowned actor and one-time sports writer and author had been battling stage four skin cancer. Alter acted in over 300 movies apart from numerous TV shows, most famously as the gangster Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera Junoon which ran for a record five years during the 1990s. In addition to acting, Alter also ventured into direction and was a sports journalist in the 80s and 90s. He was the first person to interview Sachin Tendulkar for TV when the cricketer was yet to debut for India. Alter has written three books, one non-fiction and two fiction, and in 2008 was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the government in recognition for his services to the field of arts and cinema.

Nirmala Seetharaman inaugurates Pratam – Shyok Bridge in Leh

On 30th Sept 2017, the Defence Minister Ms. Nirmala Seetharaman inaugurated the Pratham- Shyok Bridge in Leh. This bridge connects Leh to the Karakoram in J&K. It also provides connectivity for military transport.

Government to procure 10000 E Vehicles from Tata Motors

On 29th Sept 2017, Tata Motors announced that it had got orders from the Union Government for the supply of 10,000 electric vehicles. The orders have been placed by Energy Efficient Services Ltd on behalf of the Government. Tata Motors emerged as the lowest bidder from amongst the top 3 bidders – Tata, Nissan and Mahindra & Mahindra. By Nov 2017 in the first phase, 500 e-cars will be supplied by Tata Motors while the remaining 9500 will be supplied in the second phase.

Government Keeps Interest Rates Unchanged on Small Savings Schemes

Ahead of monetary policy review, the government has kept unchanged the interest rates on small savings schemes like PPF, Kisan Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi for October-December quarter. Investments in the Public Provident Fund (PPF) scheme will fetch annual rate of 7.8 percent while Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.5 percent and mature in 115 months. The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme will offer 8.3 percent annually. Similarly, the investment on 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme will yield 8.3 percent. The interest rate on the senior citizens’ scheme is paid quarterly.

First Indian Mobile Congress held in New Delhi

The First Indian Mobile Congress was held in New Delhi from 27th to 29th September 2017. More than 300 delegates attended the event. This included exhibitors and startups in the industry. The main focus of the event was Digital India through privatization and the advent of 5G. The event was organized by the Indian Cellular Association and the Cellular Operators Association of India.

IREDA becomes first Indian financial agency to raise funds from overseas

The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency has become the first Indian financial agency to raise funds from abroad. This was announced on 30th Sept 2017. These are raised in the nature of green masala bonds. IREDA raised $300 million (approximately Rs 19.5 billion) through the five-year Bond, at a coupon of 7.125% per annum. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will help in achieving Indian Government’s vision of 175 GW renewable energy capacity by 2022. The new green bond is certified by Climate Bonds Initiative, an international, investor-focused not-for-profit.

Aparna Kumar becomes first Indian female to conquer Mount Manaslu

Aparna Kumar, an IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre became the first Indian woman to scale the Mount Manaslu, on 28th Sept 2017. Mount Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Aparna has already climbed the top peaks of six out of seven continents in the world. In May 2016, she climbed Mount Everest before scaling Mount Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica. In 2014, she scaled Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest peak on the African continent.

September 30th – International Translation Day

Every year, on 30th September, the International Translation Day is observed. International Federation of Translators (FIT) decides on a theme for each year and invites all of its member associations to join it in celebrating the day around the theme. The theme for this year is “Translation and Diversity”. The day is observed as a tribute to language professionals.